Trip Report | All work and no play…

ilovedisneymm

DIS Veteran
Joined
Nov 6, 2014
Messages
1,106
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

If a midwestern winter was measured in movie minutes, we’d be at the typewriter scene. I’m kidding. A little.

Hello. We are a generational farm family in the Midwest growing traditional row crops, wheat, oats, and alfalfa. Our livestock includes Angus cattle, sheep, chickens for meat and eggs, honey bees, and too many furry little critters to count. We grow all our meat and increase our garden size a little more each year. I grow everything from seed that grows in our gardens, and I make most meals from scratch. We also home school.

I could list my hobbies, but my hobbies are the work above, so I will list my toxic traits. My toxic traits include going down way too many rabbit holes and labeling everything we wear and eat as toxic. Cause it is. Lol. That’s why we have to grow our own…everything.

We’ve done ten trips to Disney in ten years. I experienced Fort Wilderness for the first time when I was a young teen. My mom brought me to Disney and we stayed at the Swan. One afternoon she brought me over to the Fort to the waterpark area. I remember the rickety wooden structures you’d have to climb up and then zip line down. I remember the half slides that would just stop in thin air and you’d free fall for ten-twelve feet until you smacked the water. At the time it wasn’t much other than an afternoon at a water park. It wasn’t until decades later, when I returned with my own children, would I fully appreciate that dilapidated waterpark experience my mom gifted me. I should call my mom and tell her.

So about fourteen years ago we took our very young kids to Disney as a one and done. We stayed in the cabins for the extra room and kitchen. Well, like most here, we fell in love with Fort Wilderness. I had no idea about the camping side. I really had no idea about what the Fort offered until half way through the first trip. We ended up renting a golf cart and exploring the Fort in its entirety. I could not believe people and their huge rigs that stayed for weeks and months at a time. It was like a light bulb that went off. We returned nine more times over the next nine years. I’m glad we did Disney so much while the kids were little. Their memory banks are full of magical moments, ours, too!

The world got a little crazy in 2020 and the years to follow. It changed our travel direction from east to west. We’ve experienced numerous national parks the last few years and have been at a cross roads the last few weeks. Where to go. What to do.

We are also bringing our diesel mechanic. He’s never been to Disney!

Pictures include…

Hubby & I on a whale watching tour last February in Maui.

Grace is taking Agriculture classes at our local community college. She will graduate high school next spring & with an associates in Agriculture, too. Her plans are to farm & become a livestock vet. She has sat in the side combine seat in a baby carrier, played on the floor of the combine while her grandpa made the rounds, listened to her grandpa tell her what each and every button does over the years, and has graduated to full time combine #2 operator.

Little Daniel is little no more. His daddy is 6’3” and the boy is almost there. He can build anything with wood & weld anything. He’s putting in new front bearings on the golf cart today. They are the future of Ag. Little Daniel plays two seasons of baseball and we will return just at the start of the spring season. He is our main grain cart guy in the fall. They fight like siblings fight, but to watch them as a team in the field, makes it a harmony. Grown adults have difficulties dumping grain from the combine to the grain cart while in motion, these two do it with style. They are heavy machine operators. They are rockstars to me!

Both Grace and Daniel volunteer a great deal within their community. Their work ethic, loyalty to the farm, growing level of skill sets and independence, makes this momma boast more than she should. Their compassion to helping others and their community makes my heart full. ♥️

Charlotte is my little helper. She loves her cats. She inspires to be a cat lady and live next door. She has a huge passion for art.

Well that’s our introductions. I’ll talk more about camping at Fort Wilderness in the next post.

Don’t ask our dates. When we arrive, there will be a domino like wave of cell phone dings followed by a couple phone calls. When we arrive, everyone will know it. Hahahaha. I’m just kidding.

I’m bringing my tin foiled hat, brightly polished, with a pocket full of conspiracy theories proven true and a premenopausal attitude larger than life. Ha! Kidding.

We’re coming. It’s going to be great! I’m so excited!

It was like magic. Once I clicked booked, my winter frown immediately turned upside down! 😊

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Charlotte is my little helper. She loves her cats. She inspires to be a cat lady and live next door. She has a huge passion for art.

Gee wiz I'm getting old. I remember when Charlotte was BORN. 🐣

Don’t ask our dates. When we arrive, there will be a domino like wave of cell phone dings followed by a couple phone calls. When we arrive, everyone will know it. Hahahaha. I’m just kidding.

You Promise GIF by NETFLIX


Bama Ed

PS - nice collection of pics

PPS - if this make ME old, you KNOW what it does to my old(er) friend @Teamubr 👴
 
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I’m glad to have a couple readers. Thanks for following along.

Ed - When I say “when we arrive, everyone will know it.” I mean like an alert. Like a warning alarm similar to those tornado warning pings. Haha.

This trip is going to be interesting. We’ve been traveling in the mountains, living like nomads, touching borders of Canada (x2) and highest NorthWestern points of the country. We roam. We are free. That has been our life since 2020.

But now we are returning to the highest regulated vacation spot known to man. If I want a fire, I’m going to need an approved fire pit. A covered one. Probably even need a permit of some kind, too. We are going from don’t move there is a moose behind you to get in line it’s going to be 100 minutes…

If our wheels are off the pavement six inches, I’m going to hear about it.

lol.

And I signed all of us up for this trip, too. That’s what wild about it.

Oh, Disney.
It’s fine. You’re fine. Everything is fine.
It’s going to be great.

Please know I’m full of a satire and inappropriate humor.

Let’s move on to camping at Disney…

I realized something last night. My mom never took me camping as a child. Daniel spent his summers showing cattle at the fairs. We never camped before Fort Wilderness. If it wasn’t for the Fort, falling in love with it and knowing I must return many many times, the whole camping thing might never have evolved. The roaming around the country with our tiny house on wheels likely would never have come to fruition. So I have Disney & the Fort to credit for all that.

Like I mentioned above, we stayed at the cabins our first trip. We came back a year later with a crummy old motor home. The theme song from Sanford and Sons just radiated from that crusty thing. Gas was $4 something a gallon and the thing got 4 miles to the gallon. It’s a 2200 mile round trip. Do the math. We would have been better off just doing the cabins again. But that’s in the past. We retuned in tents a few more times before upgrading to a bumper hitch. More to come on our camper.

For these reading and considering tents for your stay. Do it! Do it while you’re young. While your babies are still young. It’s the best kind of vacation money can buy. It’s the safest place for young kids. It packs the most entertainment for all. It’s the only vacation, besides national parks, that won’t nickel and dime ya to death. More to come on this, too.

Here are some pictures of how we tent camped back in the day.

We stacked and packed back then. We pulled my mini van with our small trailer that pulled our golf cart. We brought everything but the kitchen sink. When properly organized, it’s possible. We opted for tents because it was affordable. It allowed us to stay for weeks. A tent site ran $48 back then. Our shortest stay was two weeks and our longest tent stay was a wee bit over three. When you’re 23 days in, your children will begin to tell people you live down at #1529. And it wouldn’t be a lie. One would be our sleeping tent. One would be our kitchen tent. I wouldn’t trade those trips for anything in the whole world. They were magical. They bring joy to my heart each and every time I think about those tent days.

Please tell me the barrel slide is still there. Charlotte has never experienced that slide and my big kids just adored that.

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I remember those tents and Grace and Daniel at that young age. I agree with @bama_ed i remember when Charlotte was born. Getting old is better than the alternative but dang I am old.
 
Oh, Disney.
It’s fine. You’re fine. Everything is fine.
It’s going to be great.

Please know I’m full of a satire and inappropriate humor.

Let’s move on to camping at Disney…
As for satirical humor, you fit right in with many of us. :)

Great pics, Melissa. All the people heading to the Fort is making me a bit homesick. We are doing DLP this year, but not sure what we are doing in 2027. Have a great time and I'll read along on your adventures.

j
 
I’m done here.
Me to hubby the other day.

Daniel has been taking us on some kind of winter vacation (mostly Disney) for a good long run. This year, however, we planned to stay home. To get things done around the house and farm. To prepare. Clean up.

Well we’ve had snow since early December. The sun has not shone in weeks. It’s been negative degree for an unspeakable amount of days, folks.

He’s treated me to holiday in the cold times for which I’ve gained accustom to.

Last year I was in Maui on this day.
This is certainly not fair.
It’s his fault I’m like this. 😂

“Stay home and get things done.”
Me | Nov 2025

“I know I said that, but I don’t mean it anymore.”
Me | right now

Hubby is too kind.

I’m so exited. We’re going to Disney! ♥️

We are going to each and every park.

This new fast pass/lighting lane/whatever…I don’t know. I’ve been watching the line wait times, I’m not sure 7am on your phone to start your holiday is necessary. If I purchase premium for all, I’d be at the same cost as my 4 day park hopper tickets. Thats crazy. Perhaps just individual one time pass on extended time attractions.

I’ll take any recommendations for a family that hasn’t been in a few years, thanks.

Photo | The sheep and I discussing the start of the day and justifying a last minute trip to Disney.

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I'll offer one little piece of advice, Melissa.

This: I don't know how extensively you are considering LL. But wait times for rides, particularly in the evenings, are inflated to deter folks from getting line that would extend the ride past closing and require extra pay for the Cast Members. As a rule, our family doesn't do LL.

Example: we got on TRON in MK while the late fireworks were just ending with no waiting - the LL entry and our Walk-Up entry both had about 6 people in line at the CM turnstile. The posted wait time was overstated (I'd have to look back to see how much). But my point is in each park you are in each day, don't believe the wait times (overstated) and be in line BEFORE the posted park closing time and get an opportunity on the big thrill ride that you don't have to pay for. This is IF you plan to be in the parks still at closing time.

There's a little bit of the "bad boy" approach to say we're in line at 859pm (example) for a official closing time of 9pm. And then we stroll/strut out of Tomorrowland thru the hub and VERY slowly down a nearly empty Main Street. As long as guests are still in the parks, they will run boats/buses to get you back to Fort Wilderness.

So pick a desired ride in each park to get in line for one minute before official closing time and save yourselves 4 LL's for each person (if you choose to use those).

Bama Ed

PS - I've left the MK late going through the turnstiles toward the boat dock (and monorail station) and a CM with a clipboard, earpiece, and walkie talkie asked me where we were going (they were going to whistle up transportation to our home resort). Back in the good ol' days before Disney charged extra for late hour access, I stayed till 2am. :earseek:Official close was midnight - DW and DD had to drag me to the boat ..... They were READY to go to sleep.
 

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